Goodbye

It's been three and a half weeks since I left Morocco. I hadn't had the time to sit down and write for awhile because right after finals I left to Marrakech to visit a friend from home for four days. Immediately after that I went back to Milan, Italy to visit my Italian host family from high school for Christmas. I was there for about five days then I headed off to Taipei, Taiwan to visit my boyfriend for just short of two weeks to spend New Years with him.

I was so caught up in constant traveling and just visiting people and partaking in some tourism here and there that I didn't really have the time to think about missing one place because I was constantly on the move to another new and exciting place.

Now that I'm back home, I haven't really found myself in too much of a culture shock, reentering into "my own culture", the American culture and the lifestyle that I have at home. I think it is because I gradually transitioned from living in Morocco, to leaving it but not going directly home, and visiting other places foreign to me and traveling, before I came home. This way I was eased out of Moroccan culture.

I've only been home for less than five days, and all I have to say is that I miss Morocco like crazy. Thinking about it, looking through my pictures, listening to French or Arabic music that I found while in Morocco, it all makes me sad that I'm not there. Being home has been less of a culture shock (readjusting to thinking my own culture is strange and different), but a slow transition of habits, from small things like having to remember that you cannot smoke indoors or just anywhere you want here in the States, to being able to eat everything and have easier access because I have a car here and can use my credit card (and campus food sucked. No more of that...), to having realized how much I took for granted having the friends that I had while I was in Morocco. I established some of the most amazing friendships there, and while some aspects of school sucked and parts of my experience there were difficult, they all stood by me through every part of it. They managed to cheer me up all the time. They took care of me. We laughed, and played, and sang. They were some really great times with some really great friends that I will cherish forever. Although I've always appreciated them, I'm realizing how much I took them for granted. It hurts me that I was not able to say goodbye to all of them, through the chaos of finals and people leaving at sporadic times.

Not all exchange students were able to make many Moroccan friends very easily. I feel very blessed to have found a friend family that supported me and could always make me smile throughout the difficult journey. I miss them like crazy, and I miss the fun we had together. I miss Morocco and cannot wait to go back one day.

Here is a link of a version of Happy, by Pharrell Williams, a version created by students at my University in Morocco, with my university and some of my friends in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcGsl5GzPf4 

This video makes me cry of happiness and sadness because I miss it so much, but I'm so happy it happened and I'm so grateful for this experience abroad.

Morocco was such an enriching experience, with some of the most kind people, the most beautiful places to see, and a fascinating history and culture, Morocco is easily one of the most beautiful places I've had the privilege of experiencing. It was a difficult semester, one of the most stressful, mentally and emotionally challenging ones yet. Although it was difficult, I'm so thankful for everyone who shared a part of this experience with me. You all taught me something new and shared with me your perspectives. Living abroad and experiencing Morocco has taught me:

                    1) Patience, be patient with people and things will get better over time.

                    2) Flexibility, not everything goes your way.

                    and

                    3) to be thankful. Be thankful for everything, from the food on your plate, to having the clothes over your shoulders and having an education, etc. Morocco is technically still considered a third world country, and many people don't have these basic necessities. 

Despite the challenges, I also had some of the best times of my life. I made some of the most amazing friends and I miss you all immensely. Morocco became a home, and you all became a family. I've definitely left a piece of my heart there. I'll be back one day, and I hope you guys will be able to visit here in the States soon as well :) Insha'Allah <3

Here is a link of a very popular song that I heard a lot while in Morocco. It's an Algerian song, but it's Arabic is similar to Morccan Arabic and understood by Moroccans. There is a huge mix of music that is played in Morocco, from American, French, Moroccan Arabic songs, and other various Arabic songs. This was on of the most popular, and also one of my favorites :)

Although I'm not entirely sure of what every word says, it is a love song. I think it's such a beautiful song, and I thought it was appropriate because I am absolutely in love with Morocco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKGW9V1WSl8

I hope you all enjoyed reading my blog over this past semester! Thanks for reading!

For my Moroccan friends,

Il y a 3 semaines que je suis partie du Maroc. Je suis désolée si je n'ai pas dis au revoir à beaucoup d'entre vous. Plusieurs d'entre vous sont devenus très chers à mon coeur ce semestre; vous êtes devenus mes meilleurs amis, ma famille. Je suis très triste de ne pas vous avoir dit au revoir, mais je sais que nous nous reverrons un jour. Vous êtes tous les bienvenus chez moi aux états unis, et je vous rendrai visite bientôt. Vous me manquez déjà enormement! Bisous

Less than 48 hours, 2 finals to go, and I'm off the next morning.

It suddenly dawned on me today, that as I study for my last two finals and pack up my bags, right after I finish my finals tomorrow I am not only going to be done here, but I will be leaving less than 24 hours following that. I've been so caught up in this finals stress and so much else that I couldn't think about anything else except for just getting it done and over with. But now that I have less than 48 hours, a part of me doesn't want to leave. It's been a really difficult semester. One of the most stressful, mentally and emotionally challenging semesters. But even though it was difficult I'm so very thankful for each and every one of you that shared a part of this experience with me. You all taught me something new and shared with me different your perspectives. That's what this exchange thing is about, meeting new people, exchanging ideas and making connections in the hopes of the world becoming a better global community. Each time I travel I make the efforts to do such as there is always something more you can learn. I've learned a lot from all of you, and I'm gonna miss you all so so much. Actually realizing that I'm leaving in less than 48 hours makes my heart ache.

Walking Away More Flexible and Thankful

If there's anything I learned here, it's to go with the flow, be thankful, and that language is key and it can get you far. I mean I already knew that, which is why it is my goal to be able to speak five languages fluently before I die, but still. Not being able to speak Darija made me really dependent on people, which made me need to be flexible. So many things can happen out of your control, and unexpectedly, especially in Morocco since there is no sense of time here.

Entrance gate of the Fez Medina

I came here promising myself to not have any international student friends because of the lack of the opportunity to have a host family. Realizing that Ifrane is Ifrane, and that it is a town not representative of the rest of Morocco, I had to travel on weekends. Yeah traveling is amazing, it's fun and wonderful to be able to see all these things. But that's just it, it's just seeing, not experiencing. And that is what I mean by when I say I've been so much happier in my last month here because I've been on my own, and have been experiencing more things. No matter if my friend group changed, or if my routine changed. It was all the same. The only difference was that I began to do more on my own.

It's the difference between just observing that the Moroccan tea is important, versus learning HOW to pour it, and HOW it's made. The difference between when I'm with other foreigners, Moroccans will make more of a conscious effort to speak English to us. But if it is just me, much more French and Darija goes flying around and across the room. I am by no means capable of speaking French or Darija fluently, but I've learned more words and been able to comprehend more in this past month than my entire semester here. You know why? Because I isolated myself. I took myself out of the problem that I saw myself in where I found myself stuck, and I continued my life in morocco as independently as possible that I, as a female and a foreigner, could.

That's another thing I've really learned to appreciate. My rights as a woman in the United States. Being here in Morocco I've really learned to appreciate my rights and what society says is "right versus wrong" in the States. There is so much pressure and judgement placed on women. It seems to be a two faced society struggling to meet in the middle between tradition and western globalization. Morocco is a religious country, meaning it's laws are based on the Quran. But at the same time, it's a country that is trying to move forward and become Westernized.

I really don't understand how they plan or expected this to work. Many parts of tradition put women on a pedestol but at the same time, the wealthy class here is educating their women and directing and training them to go into the business world, yet there is no business work opportunities for women here. Essentially they are preparing them to leave the country and go work in the Western countries. But still, as these women are born, raised, and grow up here, they are taught the laws and traditions of the Quran, but at the same time told to work (which is a male thing). In their education systems they are being put in a Western mindset, or at least that is what the university tries to do. But it's just like at my school, an "American" school. Students come here, and for many of them it's their first time on their own, so they go crazy. I mean, colleges in the United States are the same, but here it's to another level. I say this because children grow up being traditional, and the moment they come to live away from their parents, they can take off their veil and dress to the other extreme. I swear, in the beginning of the semester when it was still summer, I've never seen some women dress as revealing as I did here on my campus in Ifrane. More than even my own liberal arts college in the States. That really shocked me. And just like any other college students going to live away for their first time, students start drinking and smoking etc. The only difference is, that here it is illegal to smoke and drink. If you are a good Muslim, which everyone technically should be and Morocco's laws are religious laws, you should not be doing these things. However these things are accessible because Morocco does have tourists and they can't stop foreigners from getting these things if they want. But if a Moroccan gets caught with large portions of alcohol, he or she could get arrested. I've had to go with my Moroccan friends before to buy alcohol and carry it all myself, so that they would not get arrested. Ridiculous. It's a two faced society.

Men can sleep around, but noo the moment a woman does, society judges her and she denies that it happened, because "if her father found out he would kill her. If he found out she had a boyfriend he'd kill her". And often times women don't want to give in unless there is some form of security. So what is there? So many men end up agreeing to be in relationships and some even throwing out the words "I'll marry you one day" just so he can get in her pants. And women take these things seriously and sometimes believe it. Then they give it up, and they are immediately "A bad Muslim" and society judges them. So they deny it. A lot of things here in society contradict each other, where tradition meets Western globalization. It's a place that seems to be struggling with its own identity.

Does globalization mean losing a country's culture? This is an issue that I've never thought about because I've primarily traveled to Europe and parts of Asia, and within Canada and the States, where everything is Westernized. They are the definition of Western. And I realized that these places don't deal with the same issues that Morocco does, because firstly their laws are not religious, but mostly because being modern and western is part of their culture. Take the States for example, it is a new nation built from scratch. What culture did it even have to lose from the beginning? What tradition? I've never thought about this, but being here has really made me realize the effects of globalization.

Sunrise in the Pre-Sahara

What did I learn being here during my semester in Morocco? That I hate dependency. This exchange program at AUI is not a program where a lot of growing up is done. This is because AUI is "American" and is located in Ifrane where it snows and is isolated and is an open minded place. It is necessary to travel in order to see the "real" Morocco, promoting a touristy traveling study abroad experience. And in my opinion, that is not correct. A traveling study abroad experience is not studying abroad. You are just living here and being a tourist every time you travel and sight see.

When you study abroad you have a university as a home base. You have the opportunity to make friends that are local people, and you have the opportunity to put yourself in the middle of it, immerse yourself, and fully experience the culture of Morocco. Take advantage of that. Traveling every weekend is not experiencing anything, it's just being a tourist. Yes being a tourist can be fun and you do see a lot, but doesn't mean you learn anything, or comprehend it. It's like the tea. You can observe that it is important as people will serve it to you everywhere, but you don't understand it. Understanding it comes from immersing yourself and you would learn how it is made and how in Moroccan culture people were raised and taught how to pour it in a specific way to form the bubbles, You would even learn to pour it yourself.

This semester, despite my first rough two months, and despite the fact that I hate being a woman and a foreigner here (because that limits me and made me become dependent on so many people that I knew I could not depend on), I still learned a lot. Being dependent on Moroccans just because they are Moroccans and can speak the language or because some are men (good for safety), I learned to be flexible, because you should never rely on other people.But here in Morocco you really are a bit helpless if you are both a woman and a foreigner. You're stuck. Also people here have no sense of time and are terrible at planning things. So it was hard to depend for that reason as well. But I think the sense of time thing is just an all Mediterranean thing.

I've always generally been an independent person. I did not become more independent here. Morocco put me in the complete opposite situation and I learned to go with it. Having to rely on others especially when sometimes they were not reliable, I learned to just go with the flow more, and to not let disappointment get to me. Plans are just plans and things can change and you just go with it. Morocco has forced me to become more lax about everything because when you are forced to depend on a Moroccan because of a language barrier or just safety because I'm "weak and vulnerable" as a woman, you have absolutely no control of anything. I learned to not have any sense of control, and adjusted to it.

I already learned flexibility in Italy. I was in a new place on my own for a year in a place where hardly anyone spoke English and although being a woman in Italy doesn't really limit you, not knowing the language or culture still does. That is how surprises can just be flung at you at any moment and you just gotta go with it. I learned a lot in Italy, but I took those skills to Morocco and they developed even more so. From independence and learning how to find my own way in Italy, to complete heavy dependence in Morocco (because it's not safe for a woman to travel on her own, but in Italy it's ok) I learned a lot.

Panorama of Chefchaouen

Thanksgiving Day, Weekend Field Trip, and Less Than a Month Left...

So last week I was a struggle bus. Wednesday morning I was cleaning my ear with  Q-tip and the cotton from it got stuck in my ear. I went to the infirmary  on campus and the nurse that night found it and said that she would try to get it out. She said I either had the choice of her trying to get it out that night, or I can get a prescription ear drop which should make it easier to take out the next day. I tried the first option first. She ended up practically stabbing the inside of my ear and it hurt so much! But she apparently moved it a bit. She gave me the prescription and I had to go into town late that night on my own to get the ear drops.

Thanksgiving Day: November 27th 
I went back Thursday morning and it was a different nurse. He tried to look in my ear and he couldn't even find it. Worse, is that I kept asking them if it was there, and if he could find it. I even asked him in French. I received no response. He just walked away and left me in the room on the bed and I waited for fifteen minutes. I decided to get up and find out what was happening on my own and I went out into the waiting room and looked over to the adjacent office and found the nurse just minding his business at his desk. After waiting another five more minutes in the waiting room I got to the woman at the front desk and she just told me that he was unable to find it and that it is absolutely necessary for me to go into Fez and see a specialist.

I cannot explain my frustration with these nurses on campus. The first one finds it and stabs my ear. The second can't even find it the next after it is supposedly moved a bit and should be easier to take out. What idiots....

Anyways, I threw a fit because I had planned on staying on campus working all day. I had a paper and a report and presentation to prepare. But I had no choice. I left Ifrane at around 2 pm with a bus provided by the University and a translator came with. It only took about 45 minutes to get into Fez but even though we got there in time, we ended up waiting two hours or so to see a doctor. And he just took it right out no problem, He looked into a microscope, found it, and pulled it out without stabbing my ear. I was so grateful to have my hearing back!

That was what I was most thankful for that day. I had gone nearly 30 hours of being deaf in my left ear and I had never appreciated things as simple as that. You know when you get sick and you appreciate you being able to breathe out of your nose? I felt that, but with my ear, and every other sense I have. I thankful for being able to hear, and for being a functional healthy person. I'm incredibly thankful for my family and friends back home, and my family and friends that I've made all around the world that have supported me through everything. I'm incredibly thankful for my supportive and loving mother who gives me every opportunity I could ever dream of. She let me come to Morocco even though she was beyond terrified for my safety over here. I am alive and well, and I could not be more thankful for everything and everyone in my life, but also the simple things such as being a healthy human.

I could go on about how thankful I am about numerous things. I am an incredibly fortunate person.

Anyways, after he took the cotton out, I was extremely relieved and thankful that I could hear again. On our way back to Ifrane I was hungry so the bus driver took me to Mcdonalds. It was a long but productive day well worth it and I got two burgers. I don't really ever eat Mcdonalds in the States, bu sometimes being abroad does that to you I realize. You miss things as "American as it can get", or the closest thing you can find to food you would be able to find at home, and you resort to eating things even such as disgusting fast food because you can be certain of what it is and it's quality, when other foods in your current traveling environment can be pretty questionable. More so than Mcdonalds. So that was my thanksgiving. Realizing how lucky I am to be a healthy person and I was thankful for my sense of hearing. And I celebrated on my own with my bus driver by eating Mcdonalds. Cheers!

November 28-30th
Friday morning it snowed. Not a lot, but not little. But there was news that it would be getting worse, so there were reports saying not to travel for the weekend. I attended my morning classes like normal. For my afternoon class, African Popular Culture, it was cancelled because we had a field trip to Casablanca to eat at a Senegalese restaurant. I wasn't sure if we were still going to go because of the weather, but we did anyways. About half of my class (primarily exchange students) showed up. We met at the University's front gate and took a just short of a four hour bus ride. We arrived at our hotel at checked in. It was already late in the evening, so a group of us just went exploring around the neighborhood and looked for a nearby restaurant. We found a decent tapas place.

Saturday morning our professor took us to a cafe for coffee but no breakfast. We had to make sure we would be hungry for our Senegalese lunch. While waiting for our noon reservation to roll around we explored with our professor (an American who has been living and working here for the past twenty years) who gave us a tour of the area. He knew everything about the place, the history of the market, where any shop of any kind was located, different kinds of food and quality and where they could be found. You name it.

Flowers in the Market

Found some Lizards in the Market (alive and dead....)

Casablanca-The city of white houses

We ate our infamous Senegalese lunch. I had a dish called Mafi. Which is a rice dish with beef and a spicy peanut sauce. It was bombbb. Although one of my classmates who is from Senegal who came along said it was only alright. Whatever, I was happy, and my stomach was full all day.

That afternoon a bunch of us set out on a mission to find a grocery store. We ran our own errands (Ifrane is super small and you need to go to a city to find a lot of things you may need) and I got shampoo, wine, and cheese. Yeah, I know what's important..

Alcohol here is sold in a separate room called the Alcohol cave. It is in the grocery stores but is separate because it closes and locks at 8:30 pm. I like that it's called the Alcohol cave haha

We explored the medina with the goal of getting Christmas presents. Most of us were Americans and coming back home in December means Christmas presents. Shopping stresses me out so I just joined for walking around, but not really the shopping. There was this crazy guy in the medina who just showed up out of no where and wanted to guide us through it. Ok that part was normal. But then he started going off about how black people are bad and how he kills black people. Five minutes later he gets into a fight with some black people and he gets pulled away. Kind of scary... Having random people come up to you and start leading you as a guide through a medina is pretty common because people can get lost in them so easily. However they are generally very friendly. This experience was pretty unique... and a little terrifying.

Here are some pictures of exploring the medina, some small food shops and gift shops

That night we went out to dinner in our won small groups just based on what we wanted to eat. I was content being able to go to this small Italian restaurant and having a taste of home. I went to it the last time I was in Casablanca with my friend who took me so I knew it was good. Afterwards we headed back and pretty much spent the rest of the evening drinking our bottles of wine together and going to the bar next door to the hotel. It was a loud bar with some interesting people watching. It was a good night.

Sunday morning was a bit of a struggle. We couldn't find much food open before 9 am, and since our bus was planned to leave at 9 am, my roommate and I left with just juice and coffee and a croissant in our stomachs.

The bus ride home was quick and smooth. 40 minutes before arriving to Ifrane we stopped and got lunch. I got a meatball tajine which was delicious but so filling I couldn't finish it.

When we got to Ifrane it was pouring rain and depressing. I immediately had to start on all of my homework. I missed a full work day on Thursday, and I got nothing done over the weekend. Sunday night was stressful then I ended up feeling a bit sick. I think I ate too much. So I just gave up and went to bed at a decent time. No all night that night.

Today: Monday December 1st
It's Monday now. Still working on the paper that was due today. I got an extension to tomorrow. I'm off to work on it. But I'll try to post again soon. I'm working on the last of my last bunch of midterms. Then we have finals coming up in two to three weeks. I'm a bit overwhelmed with schoolwork and all, and realizing that I have less than a month here. I fly out the 22nd...

I don't want to leave. As excited as I am for my winter break plans (I will be flying directly out of Casablanca into Milan to spend a week with my Italian family for Christmas, then flying out of Milan to Taipei to spend about two weeks with my boyfriend for new years. SO EXCITED!) I've really just begun to fall in love with Morocco. As much as I hate my university, AUI (for numerous reasons), I've just started fulling comprehending things and feeling comfortable with myself here. I mean, I'm generally always a person comfortable in my own skin, but being in Morocco as a foreigner, and as a female is a extremely different situation. I've learned a lot about myself and a lot more of the culture in the past few weeks here since being on my own than I have my entire semester here. And I don't want to leave. I'm actually comfortable here. It's not just saying oh yeah I live here, i studied abroad here, others are being tourists. I actually feel like I will leave Morocco feeling like it was a true home. I understand more than before, and enough of myself being here, and the culture that I can comfortably call this a home. I don't want to leave.

Chefchaouen: Round Two & the Cannabis farms

Last weekend I decided to go back to the Blue city. It's such a stunning city and I wanted to go back and see the cannabis farms that the region is oh so famous for. The Rif Region of Morocco is famous for hashish as it produces nearly half of the world's hashish supply. Pretty amazing. I've heard that people in the region even tried to grow other products for agriculture but the only plant that would grow well was cannabis. So funny. So for this reason hashish has become such a strong part of their culture and has a huge impact on its economy, that the hashish culture is tolerated here by the Moroccan police.

Anyways I ended up going again and I went with another exchange student friend and we ran into two of the Italian exchange students, so we ended up traveling together and getting an apartment together. It worked out really well!

We got there late Friday night and spent the evening finding an apartment and exploring the medina a bit. And just like last time, there were numerous hashish dealers wandering the streets. You could find one at the turn of every corner. It is amazing to me how much it is a part of their culture there.

Saturday we called up one of the guys we met Friday night who said he owned his own cannabis farm. We had breakfast, and afterwards he gave us a tour of his fields and he even showed us the process of making it. The fields were mostly bare since it is nearing winter and they had already collected most of it. We went into one of the farms buildings and there were just piles and piles of weed everywhere. The entire room was full of it. He then picked some out, brought it and us to another room where he showed us how to make it.

These are photos of the cannabis fields and the process of making hashish. In the end we ended up learning to make it ourselves and of course we were served Moroccan Tea :)

After our tour of the farm, the guy took us on a hike through a trail in the mountains nearby. We saw a lot of beautiful waterfalls, and we made stops along the way for food. It was beautiful. It was amazing to me how clear the water was. But it was too cold to swim in. Anyways, I always enjoy hiking :)

We finished the hike when the sun went down. We headed back to our apartment and relaxed for the rest of the night. 

We woke up Sunday morning and just explored the medina. The others that I had come with had not been before so I ended up revisiting a lot of the same parts of the medina. We shopped a lot. My exchange is coming to an end in less than a month and I'm constantly worrying about Christmas shopping already. 

Most of our late morning and early afternoon was spent shopping. Then we caught our bus back to Fez at 3pm and I worked on my paper for a Politics class on the bus ride. I suppose we could have stayed later in Chefchaouen, but I had to guarantee I would be back before midnight to submit my paper. I cut it close but I got it done and submitted it five minutes before midnight when I got back to Ifrane. Success!  

I still can't believe my time here ends in less than a month. There have been a lot of ups and downs, but now I don't want to leave. In the past two weeks since I have not been hanging out with other international students, I've been feeling a lot more grounded here in Morocco. I realized I was doing my exchange completely wrong. There is no point in studying abroad if the main people you hangout with are people from your own home country. It was stupid, and I regret my decision for doing that before. Even though I have plenty of Moroccan friends, continuing to hangout with fellow Americans all the time makes you view Moroccan culture as a touristic/foreign perspective. Since I've been mroe on my own in the past few weeks, I've been spending all my time with only Moroccans, and being the only foreigner, people will speak less English. If there is a huge group of foreigners people will speak english. But because it has just been me they will speak their own native language. In the past few weeks I've learned more Darija (Moroccan Arabic) than I have in my entire semester her thus far. With it being just me, assertive Moroccans teach me how to pour the tea, they wont just serve it to me. 

That's the difference between really immersing yourself, and just living here as a tourist. You can sit back, speak English with fellow native English speakers and observe the culture (the fact that tea is important for example) from a foreigner perspective because you are only conversing and analyzing with other foreigners, OR you can put yourself into the culture and be taught how to pour the tea. You wont just sit there and have it be served to you, but you can learn HOW to make it and HOW to pour it. Another example is attire. Foreigners can sit back and observe how people dress here, possibly even make fun of it. I know that I thought peoples attire was interesting and strange, but once you put yourself in the culture you understand Moroccan perspective and WHY people dress he way they do. These are the slight differences. Between observing, and understanding how things are done. 

I'm not really sure if this all make sense but my mind is also sort of all over the place. Overall I'm feeling a lot better about myself and my time here in Morocco. Before I was so homesick, but now I only wish that I could stay longer. Now that I'm understanding more, I'm learning more and I feel grounded here. Morocco has become more of a home to me now in the past few weeks than it ever did before. Before, I was just living here. That does not mean it's a home. A place where I understand things and local cultural habits feel right. Does this make sense?

Anyways, I'm off to write a paper. I'll write more soon! Ciao ciao 

Lost in the Blue City: Chefchaouen

This past weekend I traveled to Chefchaouen, the Blue City. This city is known for being beautifully blue and picturesque, along with fields and fields of weed. So although weed is illegal in Morocco, it has been a part of the culture in this town for such a long time, that it is tolerated by the local police. Chefchaouen is in the middle of the hills with lots of beautiful hiking around it.

The trip was originally a small group of my friends and I, but others who I'm having some problems with (stupid drama stuff that happened over Halloween weekend) invited themselves. I tried to remove the negative from my life, but they just keep pushing themselves in my face and back into my life. My time abroad has become a bit stressful. I hate drama, and I've realized that some of the friends I once had really were not real friends and it's hard realizing that at the end, especially when there is still a month left here. Aside from friends issues here, my homesickness has gone away. I think it's because those friends were really mistreating me which made me sad, feel alone, and become homesick. But now they are mostly out of my life (except for this last weekend) and I'm feeling so much better. It's mixed feelings about my time here. I'm happier now that we're no longer friends, but since we started the semester together and made all the same friends, it makes social aspects of my life a bit difficult sometimes. I as an individual am happier with myself, but sometimes time goes by slowly.

Chefchaouen was beautiful, but it was an interesting weekend because I planned this trip but they invited themselves. I've never met anyone so obviously rude like that before.

Anyways, We left Friday afternoon and took a Grand Taxi to Fes, then a four hour bus ride to Chefchaouen. When we got there we didn't have any solid plans of where to stay. Luckily we ran into some local guys who showed us an apartment that we ended up staying at. Along with the landowner, another guy came with him trying to sell us weed. The guy showed us the apartment and it was perfect, blue, good sized, and had a view of the town. We sat down and the two Moroccan friends who came along with us began bargaining. We got the apartment for 400 MAD per night. That's like $45, and between the five of us that really wasn't much. After bargaining the price for the apartment, they began bargaining for the price of weed and hashish and all. It was really fascinating to me that this was just so casual and along with the landowner a weed dealer came too. So hilarious. In the end we scored good deals and spent the night just relaxing and going to bed early.

The next morning I was the first to wake up. I took a shower and climbed up to the top of our apartment roof and just enjoyed the view. Everything was so blue, it felt like being in Santorini except the city looked over a valley, not over the sea. I sat there waiting for the others to get up. Once we were all up and ready, we wandered our way through the town to eat breakfast in the town square.

The view from our apartment rooftop

Coffee and Moroccan tea at breakfast

On a side note about Moroccan tea, people here are obsessed with it and it's basically normal Green tea with mint leaves and a lot of sugar added into it. People have it with practically every meal and when it's served often times they're served in small cups that kind of look like shot glasses. Often times even if it's tea for just one person you will be served two small cups so that you can pour some in one, then pour it between the two glasses. This way you cool it down since the tea comes served so steaming hot. 

Anyways, after breakfast we wandered for about half an hour getting lost in the old medina. The skies started to clear and we decided to go hiking. We went back to the apartment, changed and brought our swim suits, and took a cab to the start of the trail. I can't tell you how much I missed hiking. At home in the summer I hike at least once a week, and it was such a good feeling to be in the mountains and in nature again, and FINALLY getting some exercise too. 

The beginning of the trail

On the hike we were hoping to get to the cannabis fields. We didn't make it because we didn't have enough time and the sun went down behind the mountains real fast. But the hike was still beautiful. People were smoking all around us the entire time. The entire hike was gorgeous. We followed along this river and stopped at an area where we went swimming. 

It was freezing cold water so I didn't go all the way in and swim, but I waded a bit. It was fun and really relaxing. I just loved being able to be in nature again. I missed it so much.

The sun was going down so we headed back to the apartment. We took showers, went to eat dinner and spent the chilling. It was peaceful (despite the negative people around me) just relaxing on the roof top under the stars. I think I only survived this weekend with the negativity around me this weekend because Chefchaouen is such a calm and chill environment. 

The weed dealer from the first day kept coming back to sell. So funny. 

Sunday morning rolled around, and again I was the first up. I took a shower and once all the others were up we began packing our bags and cleaning the apartment. We headed out of the apartment just before noon and spent the remainder of our time in the town wandering and doing some shopping before we left to head back to Ifrane at 3pm. Overall it was a good weekend. Chefchaouen is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Morocco. If you ever come here, you should visit this place. I really could get lost in this town despite how small it is. It's so blue everywhere, everything kind of looked the same but different. I could get lost. But I enjoyed it, I saw so much beauty. I've really never seen such a magical and picturesque place. Here are some photos I took while wandering in the old medina. Enjoy!

Under the stars in the Pre-Sahara Desert

Time is a weird thing. Sometimes it goes by really fast, and other times it goes by extremely slowly. But it's all measured the same.

Halloween weekend was one of those slow times. Nothing happened on Halloween. I just learned who my true friends were. I really wasn't feeling well, so I stayed in bed most of that weekend and the days to follow it throughout the week.

November 6-9:
This last weekend was sort of a long holiday, there were no classes on Thursday so a lot of people just ended up skipping Friday. One of my Italian friends for his entrepreneurship class had to plan a vacation trip. He ended up organizing a trip to Merzouga, a city at the foothills of the Sahara Desert.

On Wednesday morning, the day before the trip it snowed. Just a little bit, but it snowed. Winter is coming and the wind in the mountains of Ifrane blew really strong that day. I'm usually pretty tolerant of the cold but that morning was too much for me. It's crazy to think that this small town really is part of Morocco.

From the mountains in Ifrane to the desert in Merzouga, we traveled driving through the Atlas Mountains Thursday morning. It was an absolutely stunning ride. Car rides are always easy for me to fall asleep on, but I never want to sleep because you can see so much just from driving through. It's amazing what you can miss in a split second driving through a small village and seeing the people.

We went through both the high, and low Atlas Mountains, and saw some areas (high Atlas) where there were even significant amounts of snow. When we arrived at that point it was hard to believe we were even in Morocco.

We made a few stops along the way like at this lake (above) and at a canyon and some other great scenic places.

Lunch: Meatball Tajine with egg

The Ziz valley

Souvenirs shop in Riassi

We finally got there at around 8pm in Merzouga. We hopped off our buses and walked into this beautiful riad. Riads are buildings that are constructed like a palace with a courtyard in the center for a fountain or garden sometimes, and the house is constructed around the courtyard. The only different between Riads and Moroccan style palaces is that they;re smaller, and they are generally homes, but extremely elegant homes. We walked around and checked into our rooms, it was a beautiful hotel.

The hotel was right at the foothills of the Sahara. This was the view from our backyard for the weekend. 

We were all pretty much super tired from travelling all day so most of us just ate dinner, and went to bed soon after that. The following day we woke up, had breakfast and some free time at the riad before we left on our camel adventure into the desert. Some of the other guys went swimming but i just layed out in the sun because the water was wayyy too cold. After our free time we ate couscous, since it was friday. It was DELICIOUS. I love couscous so much. I want to eat it all the time. At the restaurant we just all ate sharing the massive plate of food with everyone who was ate your table. it was one plate per table. And although there were half exchange students there in the group, there were also half Moroccans too. Some guys tried to dish some up and serve themselves on their own plate, but the Moroccans were always scolding us, saying, "no, no, no, that's not how you do it. You must eat with your hands." I love it here. The food culture. Everyone shares and we just reach our hands into the one plate and eat our fill. I was so yummy.

At around 3 that afternoon, we were all packed and ready and boarded our camels for our camel adventure through the pre-Sahara. The hotel owns its own camels and we just met them in the hotels backyard. So convenient. I ended up getting the largest camel of the bunch (30 or so camels). I named him Steve, and he was awesome. He had a really derpy face and Mohammed, our camel escort, made him the line leader. Every time someone dropped something and Mohammed left Steve on his own, Steve just would look arond for any bush of grass he could find, and start eating. And he dragged the rest of the camels in our line with him. He was the best, derpy and hungry.

After about an hour of traveling through the desert on our camels, we stopped to watch the sunset, which was gorgeous. Afterwards we continued on for another hour until we arrived at our campsite in a niche in the dunes. We stayed there for the night. We unloaded our camels and pretty soon after ate a dinner which consisted of a soup, a meat tajine, fruit, and of course Moroccan tea.

Following dinner, our guides took us outside and made a fire. Everyone surrounded it and the guides began playing music on the drums with traditional Berber drums, and they began to dance. It was a fun night, staying up for hours singing and dancing. One of the girls even brought her guitar, so after all the dancing the mood calmed down a bit, and we sat around the fire playing the guitar and singing. It was really beautiful and so much fun!

Mohammed, my guide, sat down and talked to me a lot of the night. I learned that he is from a small town near to Merzouga, and the he learned to speak Japanese, English, some Italian, very good Spanish and French, all from just working with tourists. He told me, that us tourists were his professors haha. Mohammed was cute.

That night it was difficult to sleep, it was too cold. We all had our own tents with thin mattress pads on the sand. It was comfortable, but soo much colder than I had expected it to be. I slept a little, but not much.  We got up early at 6am so we could climb the dunes and watch the sunrise. That was an amazing sight and I’m so glad I got up for it. 

Before we headed back to the hotel in Merzouga we ate a nice breakfast with coffee and tea. Breakfast is my favorite meal, so I was content.

We headed back on our humpy ride to the hotel. Literally, it’s a really humpy ride. Your given a saddle sort of thing which makes you be able to stay on well, except the camel’s hump really shoves up in your crotch area, and even more so when they’re walking down in the dunes, sliding and shifting their weight. I felt bad for all of the guys, I couldn’t complain.

Exhausted Steve

We got arrived back at the hotel. I said goodbye to my escort Mohammed, and my camel Steve. They were the best.

Then we had some free time until we had an SUV excursion. No one really had any idea what this meant but we saw some SUVs driving in the dunes and just thought that was what we would be doing. Since I was not prepared I didn’t bring my camera, but I took a couple on my phone. Driving through the desert was madness. Our group fit in four different cars, and our drivers decided to race. At each destination that we had, the drivers tried to race one another to it.

Our first stop, was a viewpoint from which you could see the Algeria-Morocco border. That was really cool to see. Then we were explained that because of the civil war going on in Algeria, there are a lot of people moving to Morocco, a place of stability, and nomads too.

At the mountains there ahead is the Algeria-Morocco border

Second, we were taken to see an abundance of fossils in this one area of rocks. We were explained that long ago many of todays' deserts used to be part of the ocean. We stepped out of the cars and they showed us alll of these marine type creature fossils. It was amazing. I could not stop staring they were so beautiful. These are actually a really common souvenir in the area.

The third stop was a nomadic home. We saw so many small really empty looking structures around in the desert. It was fascinating. We got to take a look inside a nomadic home which was a bit awkward because it was someones home but our tour guides told us to so I’m not sure… But the homes were very empty. We also learned that nomad homes didn’t have electricity until just 5 years ago. That was really interesting to me.

Driving through the desert we also saw a lot of roaming camels. We thought they were free camels but then we were explained how expensive camels are, and so no camel is a free camel. There must have been their nomadic owners nearby somewhere. 

It's fascinating to me that there really are people out there who live nomadic lifestyles, and just move around with their camels. Before while we were traveling through the desert we saw other people with camels. Some were tourists, but there were others who were the owners of the camels. They were just there trekking along, just chillin'. 

The fourth stop was at an old French quartz mine. In the early 1900s the French came and began mining quartz, but then they were kicked out and local Berber people took it over. It's pretty much a ruined village now with only a couple functioning buildings for those who still work there. It was pretty neat though! We walked around and climbed to the top of the hill. There we ate out lunch with a view of the desert. So breathtaking. Oh yeah, I also took home some pieces of quartz :)

Lunch spot view of the quartz mines in the middle of the desert

Our last stop was a lake. It was a small lake just fifteen minutes outside of Merzouga. It was pretty,but normal to me. But I guess it's a big deal because we were in the middle of the desert. I'm not sure. Afterwards we headed back to our riad hotel where we had some relaxing time before dinner.

That night after dinner me and a couple friends decided to take our wine, and bring it with us and drink in the middle of the dunes out in our hotels backyard. It was only right, since it was our last night in the desert. We just sat out there all night, drank our wine, and relaxed. I can't even explain to you how magical it is being in the desert. The sand is so soft, and being in the dunes is so relaxing. Just opening your eyes and seeing the dunes as your surroundings, its so colorful and calming. It feels like there is so much space and time out there, I just wanna go back already and spend my time playing around and rolling in the sand, and even sleeping there it's so soft and comfortable.

Even though we didn't really do that much, that night was magical. Laying there under the stars and in the soft sand of the Pre-Sahara with my friends and some wine. Simply magical.

The next morning our group took a group photo, then we headed out back to Ifrane. Without stopping the drive should be about six hours, but we made a couple stops along the way at some scenic viewpoints and at one place where a village man took us through his forest of produce and shared with us his work. There we kinda just wandered and got lost in his forest of palm trees. I've never seen so many palm trees in my life than I had there in the desert and the south.

We made a final stop about an hour and a half away from Ifrane. Dinner. We had bomb kefta which is beef prepared in, actually I have no idea how. But I do know it was delicious. After dinner we were headed back, and that was the end of our trip. The moment I arrived back on campus and in my room my body was exhausted and cold (still snowy in Ifrane) and I just headed to bed.

I'm sad the Merzouga trip is over. I loved the desert. Everything was so simple, calm, and peaceful. It was a much needed break from all the social and schoolwork stress I have going on at school.

Sorry I posted this a week late by the way. I hadn't found time between school work and the internet being down (internet here on campus is terrible). I'll post about this current weekend later this week. Now it's late and I just got back from a trip. So tired.

Good night!!